District Hospital Gulmi in Lumbini Province has upgraded its health information system with the implementation of a web-based electronic medical record (EMR) system. This will enable the hospital to keep a digital record of the patients’ medical records and also help improve diagnosis as well as overall healthcare quality through readily available patient medical information.

The up-gradation also includes the implementation of two important features health insurance and DHIS2 interoperability.

As regards to health insurance features, the hospital’s EMR system is now integrated with openIMIS, the health insurance management platform of the Nepal Government’s Health Insurance Board. This helps the hospital to check the insurance eligibility of patients and make insurance claims digitally through the EMR system directly enabling the hospital to provide more prompt service to the patients as well as ensure quicker claim settlement.

Similarly, the DHIS2 integration now links the hospital information system with the Nepal Government’s HMIS reporting platform enabling the hospital medical recorder to send monthly HMIS reports directly through the hospital EMR system. This is a marked departure from previous scenario where medical recorders had to arduously compile records manually and enter them separately in the DHIS2 platform increasing the chances of errors in reporting and late reporting.

Additionally, the hospital is also gearing to implement online appointment and patient portal service enabling their patients to book and pay for doctor appointments through mobile wallets and access test reports online. Gulmi Hospital has partnered with health-tech company Cogent Health to implement the entire information system up-gradation. This Health Information System up-gradation has been supported by Nick Simons Institute and implemented by Cogent Health Pvt. Ltd.